1. Draft JFK Inaugural Speech Final Copy
“I would like to see permanent joint commissions at work…to undertake interstellar exploration to conquer the deserts and tap the riches of the oceans…”
“Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage the arts and commerce.”
Adapted from Richard J. Tofel, Sounding the Trumpet: The Making of John F. Kennedy’s Inaugural Address. (Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, Publisher, 2005), Found on JFK library website.

2. Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Read the background on “The Gettysburg Address” on p. 520 of the textbook (just column 1) and the actual speech itself on p. 522.
Answer these questions in complete sentences in your notebook:
1. What was the practical purpose of Lincoln’s speech as explained in the background at the top of p. 522?
2. What other (rhetorical) purpose did the speech end up serving for him, also mentioned in the background?
3. Choose two quotes that you find impactful and write them out with a citation. Identify the device(s) used in the quotes and the effect of that.
4. Overall, why do you think this speech is hailed as a masterpiece of speeches?

3. Comparing old vs. new
What differences do you see between older speeches (such as Sinners (1741) and Gettysburg address (1863)) versus newer speeches such as JFK (1961) and MLK (1963)?
For those of you who have seen more recent political speeches and debates, what do you notice about the difference in language?

4. Controversy over “The Gettysburg Address”…

5. The day after …
Printed in the Pennsylvania Patriot and Union newspapers
We pass over the silly remarks of the President. For the credit of the nation we are willing that the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them and that they shall be no more repeated or thought of.

6. Retraction
Seven score and ten years ago, the forefathers of this media institution brought forth to its audience a judgment so flawed, so tainted by hubris, so lacking in the perspective history would bring, that it cannot remain unaddressed in our archives.
Back then, the editors of the Patriot & Union newspaper - an ancestor of today's Harrisburg paper - thought so little of Lincoln's "silly remarks" that they hoped "the veil of oblivion shall be dropped over them, and that they shall be no more reposted or thought of.

7. While mildly received on its delivery, the November 19, 1863, speech marking the consecration of the national cemetery at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, has gone on to become one of the most famous pieces of writing in the American canon -- inscribed on monuments, taught to schoolchildren and frequently surfacing in cultural references.
Filmmaker Ken Burns recently urged all Americans to learn and recite the speech, calling the address "some of the most important words ever spoken."
The world will little note nor long remember our condemnation of this speech-- but we must do as conscience demands. In the editorial about President Abraham Lincoln's speech delivered Nov. 19, 1863, in Gettysburg, the Patriot & Union failed to recognize its momentous importance, timeless eloquence, and lasting significance. The Patriot-News regrets the error.

8. First… What is parody? What is satire?
What examples of parody and satire are you familiar with?
What genres of political parody are most common?

9. Political Cartoon

10. Meme

11. Instructions
As we view the following parody about speeches, pay attention to:
1. Who and what is being mocked
2. Why they are being mocked
3. How the mockery occurs (tactics, uses of language, devices, etc.)

12. SNL on the Gettysburg Address and “all the speeches”!
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